Delorme inReach SE or Explorer with Earthmate Hunt app

[davk]

I primarily solo hunt in the backcountry and the wife has been bugging me to get some sort of SOS/communication device.  Ive been looking at the inReach but am just undecided.  I currently have a Garmin GPSMAP 64st.  Im thinking Ill ditch it for weight.  My though is that the inReach SE with Earthmate app would give me both communication and GPS features.  But my concern would be running my phone dead and no longer having a gps.  I have a battery pack, but Im more or less planning for the worst.  My other thought would be to get the inReach Explorer with Earthmate app so if my phone died the unit would still function as a GPS ... even with its small semi-useless screen.  With all that said the SE I think still gives coordinates so if I wasnt an idiot and carried paper maps more often it wouldnt matter as much.  Thoughts?  Anyone have experience with the inReach and Earthmate app?

[Rob]

I have an inreach.  I just upgraded from the ACR plb.  I like the plb as it does not require a monthly subscription, but it is only an sos device so no tracking, mapping or messaging.

The inreach is fully functional without a phone, so of the phone dies,you get basic tracking, full messaging, and other basic gps functions.  I dont think you can load maps into it so that is about all you loose.

Personally i work hard to not use gps.  I prefer paper maps and situational awareness.  Keeps me sharper., but i do pull out the gps when i get mixed up just to verify location.

The inreach has worked well.  I was able to message people in remote parts of zimbabwe last month!

[davk]

I thought the inReach SE doesnt function as a standard gps.  I dont use the gps for navigation too much.  Bit more in the thick timber when Im just wandering around to see where I am actually at. Usually have a good general idea and which way is out.  Also in a few areas I hunt the roads never seem to be completely up to date on areial maps, and definately not on paper maps so it helps greatly verify intersections.  Also use it a bit for marking points of interest.

[hogslayer]

Outdoor gear lab did a pretty good review on both units.  I just bought a se last week and haven't got it in the mail yet so I can't give you first hand experience.  But I do know that the explorer is a lot more and doesn't have the ability to load topo maps so it isn't really useful.  I am going to test out the SE and see how it functions with the gps and decide if I can ditch my rino for my solo hunt.  I to was under the impression that the SE didn't have any gps maps but just gives you a track.

[Halo]

I just picked up the inReach Explorer last week. I'm still figuring it out but it seems to work well for what I need it for. I'll be chasing antelope very soon in the desert far from cell service so being able to get a text or SOS out will be a nice option if things go wrong. It does not do a very good job of replacing your GPS but I think it's good insurance for a solo hunter far from cell range.

[Rob]

Apologies, I was thinking the Explorer, not the SE.  I got an Explorer.  You have probably found this link, but it compares the two units pretty well:
http://www.inreachdelorme.com/why-inreach/

Should give you a side by side compare between the two units.  The extra features seemed worth it for the added price.  With Electronics I like to go with the latest model - the lifecycle is so short on these things that it seems wise to get the latest and greatest.

Here are some sample maps from the web tracking that my friends and family were able to see online while I was in Africa.  As I logged waypoints, they showed up on the map for those watching from home which was kinda cool. 

When I paired it to my phone, it showed the track, waypoints, and places I sent messages on the app.  Since it was Africa, the maps were not that detailed, but if I had been near internet access I may have been able to download more detailed maps - it kept asking me if I wanted to download local maps.